Muscle physiologists study the accumulation of lactic acid [CH3CH(OH)COOH] during

Problem 19.127

Muscle physiologists study the accumulation of lactic acid  during exercise. Food chemists study its occurrence in sour milk, beer, wine, and fruit. Industrial microbiologists study its formation by various bacterial species from carbohydrates. A biochemist prepares a lactic acid lactate buffer by mixing 225 mL of 0.85 M lactic acid  with 435 mL of 0.68 M sodium lactate. What is the buffer pH?

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Step 1 of 5

An acidic buffer is the one which consists of a weak acid and its conjugate base.

The pH of an acidic buffer is calculated using Henderson - Hasselbalch equation  is as follows.

                                  …………………..(1)

For weak acids,

Here,

 = Dissociation constant

HA = Acid

 = conjugate base.